You know how I love to keep a hard squash or two around. Why? Along with root vegetables and cabbage, they will happily wait in your refrigerator until your other more perishable produce has been consumed. So, what can you do with a pumpkin such as this kabocha? It can provide you with many simple meals as you develop your skills of intuitive cooking without recipes.
In this case, I decided to slice it and bake on a cookie sheet with some grapeseed oil at 350 for about 40 minutes until tender. Flipped over halfway through cooking time. Yes, you can even eat the skin! You can certainly eat it just like that. Seasoned with soy sauce is how my mother used to serve it frequently at dinner.
How About With Pasta?
I decided to add some of this to some penne pasta for its first appearance. From my treasure chest of freezer gems, I retrieved about an inch of bacon that I chopped and browned in a skillet. Then added some diced onion and cooked until golden. Tossed in some leftover chicken breast along with some stock and white wine, seasoned with garlic powder, sage, French thyme and nutmeg. After the sauce reduced a bit, I cut some of the squash into chunks and added to the skillet. Then I decided the sauce should have a little more substance, so I peeled some more of the squash, smashed it with a potato masher and whisked into the sauce. Tasted, added salt and mixed in the cooked penne. Topped with grated parmesan.
Do I have any squash haters out there? Try this one out on your kids and tell me if you have any leftovers.
What do you do with leftover kabocha slices? I put some into some ramen with tofu and carrots the next day. I really enjoyed the unexpected texture of it in the soup. I’m thinking of frying some tempura style next…What else would you do with it?
For another idea on using kabocha squash in a protein filled vegetarian stew, please read Squash Your Prejudice next.
